Apparatus for perfecting combustion in boiler-furnaces.



No. 63|,82`9 Patented Aug. 29, |899.

Ll. sT. PETER. APPARATUS FOR PEBFECTING COMBUSTl'ON IN BOILER FUBNAUES.

Application mmfsepn 19, 189s.; (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES.-

PATENT FFICE LOUIS ST. PETER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

:APPARATUS FOR PERFECTING COMBUSTION IN BOILER-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,829, dated August29, 1899.

Application filed September 19, 189

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, LOUIS ST. PETER, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, and a resi# dent of Springfield, in the county of Hampden andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus for Perfecting Combustion in Boiler-Furnaces,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to providel an apparatus for perfectingthe combustion of the fuel in boiler-furnaces which is auto4 matic andself-regulating and is, furthermore, capable of being modified toacquire conditions for supplying air to the furnace to j accord withvarying circumstances and situ. ations; and the invention consists inthe combination, with the blower and with the automatically-operatedsmokedamper, of the smoke-stack, `of a gate or valve for regulating thequantity of air delivered by the blower into the furnace,which gate orvalve is automatically operated in conjunction with said smoke-damper.

The invention furthermore consists in an apparatus,as last abovespeciied,in which the gate or valve for the blower discharge-pipe isadjustable; and the invention furthermore consists in the specicconstruction and combination of parts comprised in the apparatus, allsubstantially as will hereinafter fully appear and be set forth in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which my presentimproved apparatus is illustrated.

Figure l is a side elevation and partial vertical section of theinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, of a portionof the length of the blower discharge-pipe, showing thetransversely-arranged adjustable gate or valve therefor; and Fig. 3 is aView in section and elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A represents the furnace for a steam-boiler B, havingthe smoke stack or pipe C. The smoke-pipe is provided with a damper a,adapted to be automatically controlled through connections therewithfrom and by a regulator (indicated at D) operated by the steam-pressure,so that when the pres- 8. Serial No. 691.400. (No model.)

sure becomes excessive the damper in the smoke-pipe will be closed.

b represents a pipe, understood as having connection with theboiler,which leads to the regulator beneath the diaphragm thereof,understood as in the diaphragm-case b2. The motion of the diaphragmthrough the usual lever and link connections imparts a swing- `ingmovement to the arm or lever b3 of the regulator, and with this arm achain or other suitable flexible connection d is connected, it extendingthence suitably guided, as by passging over the guide-sheave (Z2, to theoperating lever-arm c2 of the smoke-damper.

Noinvention is comprised in any specific lform of steam-operatedregulator or in the mere combination of the smoke-damper with `thesteam-operated regulator.

G represents a blower for air, of which f is a blower inlet-pipe, and gthe blower outletpipe, the latter being extended into the ash pit orchamber h below the furnace-grate. The blower is mechanically driven byany available means-as, for instance, the pulley i and belt viz-takingthe power from any suitable shaft in the boiler-room or elsewhere, orthe blower may be driven by an electric motor comprised asa partthereof.

A comparatively large pipe or conductor m leads from. the smoke-stack orsmoke-pipe C at any suitable point back ofthe smoke-damper (between thedamper and the furnace) to connection with or as a continuation of theblower inlet or supply passage f, as shown.

' The blower. inlet-passage vhas the opening n leading thereinto fromthe outer air, there being provided therefor the sliding door or` covern2, movable in the slides n3, provided on the outer side of the pipe f.

The blower outlet or discharge pipe g has provided as a part of thewalls thereof the p, in which the gate or blower-damper H is movable,whereby to fully close or leave more or less open, according to itsposition, the blower discharge-passage. This gate is automaticallyoperated in conjunction with the smoke-pipe damper by having a supporton the chain or flexible connection r, which is also connected to thedamper-operated arm transversely-arranged rectangular gate-guide IOO b3of the regulator, said flexible connection passing to its supportingengagement with the gate around the guide-sheaves ss, and said gatebeing vertically movable has normally a tendency to close by the weightt. As indicated in the drawings and more particularly shown in Figs. 2and 3, the gate or blower discharge-damper is formed in two sections orplates u and u2, the one vertically adjustable on the other and having,for the purposes of confining them in their adjusted relations, thescrew-stud a3 on the one plate and the thumb-nut 'at on the other, theone plate being constructed with a slot u5,whereby it may have itsvertical sliding movement when the thumb-nut is loosened withoutimpediment by the shank of the said screw-stud.

In the operation of this apparatus the blower G provides a forced draftof air, either pure air or air having combined therewith the products ofcombustion, as varyin g conditions render advantageous, into the ash-pitof the furnace. When the steam is low or at the time of starting up,there being little or no pressure on the diaphragm of the regulator, thesmokedamper will be open, and, corresponding to the open position of thesmoke-damper, the blower discharge-gate will also be automaticallyopened, and there will be for a time the freest possible and largestvolume of air entered into the ash-pit; but so soon as the steam reachesa suitablyhigh pressure the regulator will automatically move thesmoke-damper towardits closed position, in conjunction with which thegate of the blower discharge-pipe also moves toward its closed position.By closing the sliding cover n2 air from the outside may be excludedfrom entrance to and through the furnace, and the only air which is thenintroduced by the blowerinto the ashpit will be that having combinedtherewith smoke and gases which have passed from the furnace up thesmoke-stack and which in'- stead of passing away through the stack is ldiverted through the blower to be further consumed in the furnace; and Imay under certain circumstances find it desirable to introduce airthrough the blower even when the smoke-damper is in its closed position,and this may be conveniently done by temporarily adjusting andshortening the gate H of the blower discharge-passage. This adjustmentof the gate H may be effected in any convenient manner.

Actual use of this apparatus has proved it to be highly efficient in theburning of soft coal and other low-grade fuel, and itjhas been foundthat the smoke has been edectively consumed, and it has, furthermore,been found that the running of the furnace for the maintenance of thesteam up to any given pressure has beenv accomplished with greatereconomy of fuel than has heretofore been possible in running the furnacebefore the hereinabovedescribed apparatus was combined therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a furnace, having the smoke-stack andsmoke-damper therein, of a gate or valve movably applied in thedischarge-passage of a blower which is located adjacent to the furnace,and which dischargepipe enters the ash pit or chamber under thefurnace-gate, and a connection between the smoke-damper and the saidgate, whereby, as the damper is opened or closed, the said blower-gatewill be simultaneously moved in its opening or closing position, andmeans for varying the relative opening or closing movement of said gateand damper.

2. The combination with a furnace, having the smoke-stack and asmoke-damper therein, and a steam-operated automatic regulator having anoperative connection with the smoke-damper, of a blower having thedischarge-pipe thereof leading, into the ash-pit of the furnace andprovided with the gate or valve adapted to openl or close said -blowerdischarge-pipe, and connections whereby said gate may be adjusted inconjunction with and relative to the steam-operated regulatory and fsmoke-damper, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a furnace, having the smoke-stack andsmoke-damper therein, and a steam-operated automatic regulator having anoperative connection with the smoke-damper, of a blower having the disycharge-pipe thereof vleading into the ash-pit of the furnace, andprovided with a gate or valve adapted to open, or close, said blowerdischarge-pipe, a pipe leading from the smokestack at a point back ofthe smoke-damper to :and constituting the air-supply passage of j theblower, and connections between the IOO smoke-damper and said gate, saidgate and l damper being adjustable in relation to eachother,\substantially as and for the purposesset forth. l

4. The combination with a furnace', having a smoke-passage, and asmoke-damper therein, and automatic means for openingand f closing thedamper, of a blower having the discharge-pipe thereof entered into thefur- C nace and provided with a gate or valve 5 adapted to open andclose said passage, and g formed in adjustable sections whereby it maybe elongated or shortened to more or less f nearly close saiddischarge-passage,- and con- -having the adjustable .movable gate H, the

pipe fm leading from the smoke-passage at a point back of the damper, toand constituting the air-supplying passage of the blower, provided withthe opening n and the adjustable door or cover n2 therefor and aiiexible connection operating the said blower-gate in conjunction withthe operation of the smoke-damper, substantially as described.

6. The combination with afurnaee, having the smoke-stack C and thesmoke-damper a provided with the lever-arm a2, the automaticsteam-operated regulator having a movable member b3, a sheave-guidedflexible connection CZ between said member b3 and said arm a2 of thesmoke-damper, of the blower G having the discharge-pipe g leading intothe ashpit of the f urnacezand provided with the gateway p andtransversely-arranged gate H con- LOUIS ST. PETER.

Witnesses:

W. S. BELLows, M. A. CAMPBELL.

